Art or Circus? Characterizing User-Created Video on YouTube

Abstract

Video and networking technologies have advanced such that posting and viewing video online is practical. Everyday people now post video online to communicate asynchronously with remote audiences. This paper explores the forms in which people communicate on the popular video sharing website YouTube. It also examines whether end-user video creators on YouTube use plot-based storytelling as a communication strategy. We analyzed popular content on YouTube and found the majority of that content showcases everyday people engaging in uncommon activities. Furthermore, a small minority of popular video actually tells a story. Based on our findings, we propose the compostion gap as a means of conceptualizing the disparity between video content on You- Tube and professional content. We then discuss opportunities for designing technologies to support communication through performance-based video as well as story-based video.